Letter to William W.
Phelps, 31 July 1832

with the requirements of them in not obtaining
reccommends &c seccondy
secondly, that the
church

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

into there fellowship & communion on any
other conditions, then the filling his mission to the South countries according
to the commandment

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of Deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

of Jesus Christ, I cite your minds to
thise saying he that loveth Father or Mother wife & Children more than
me is not worthy of me thus saith the Lord Thirdly the unorganized & confused state in
leaving here, and the evil surmisings which were among them & neglect
of duty &c more then this I do not wish to
mention, now therefore the buffitings of the advasary be upon all those
among you who are eniquitous persons and
rebelious, I would inform them they do not
have my right hand of fellowship,
but I will leave this subject for will not my God and your God do right, I
return to your letter you informed me slightly that you heard of the
accident to broth Newel K.
Whitney

Located thirteen miles northwest of Louisville, Kentucky, in hilly area with poor soil and good timber. First permanent white settlers arrived in area, early 1800s. Population in 1833 about 200. En route from Missouri to Kirtland, Ohio, spring 1832, JS and...

Idn. Indiana
A question how did you hear, did any of you receive letters writen by any
of us informing you of the critical situation we were placed in, if so how
did you treat them if not so have you writen to us to give us that
information which would be calculated to releave the mind of its painful
anxciety concerning you, whether that fellowship and brotherly love
continued among you towards us which you professed when we left you,
it is true we received a letter from brother John Carl Corrill

28 Dec. 1789–29 June 1834. Merchant. Born at New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Eli Gilbert and Lydia Hemingway. Moved to Huntington, Fairfield Co., Connecticut; to Monroe, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, by Sept. 1818; to Painesville, Geauga Co...

after we arived home from Indiana who
had arived here before us, but what did it contain, it gave us this inteligence, that the
Devel had been to work with all his inventive immagination to reward
us for our toils in travling from this country to Zion amidst a crooked
& preverse generation leaving our familys in affliction amidst of death upon
the mercy of mobs & of brethren who you know sometimes are found to be
unstable unbeleiving, unmerciful
& unkind,
and in this trying situation to keep the
commandment of God we took our lives in our hands and traveled through
evry combination of wickedness to your country for your salvation & for our travail & our toils,
suffering & privations as I said before
[p. 2]

with the requirements of them in not obtaining
reccommends &c seccondy
[secondly], that the
church

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

into there fellowship & communion on any
other conditions, then the filling his mission to the South countries according
to the commandment

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of Deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

of Jesus Christ, I cite your minds to
thise saying he that loveth Father or Mother wife & Children more than
me is not worthy of me thus saith the Lord Thirdly the unorganized & confused state in
leaving here, and the evil surmisings which were among them & neglect
of duty &c more then this I do not wish to
mention, now therefore the buffitings of the advasary be upon all those
<among you> who are eniquitous persons and
rebelious, I would inform you them they do not
have my right hand of fellowship,
but I will leave this subject for will not my God and your God do right, I
return to your letter you informed me slightly that you heard of the
accident to broth [Newel K.]
Whitney

Located thirteen miles northwest of Louisville, Kentucky, in hilly area with poor soil and good timber. First permanent white settlers arrived in area, early 1800s. Population in 1833 about 200. En route from Missouri to Kirtland, Ohio, spring 1832, JS and...

Idn. [Indiana]
A question how did you hear, did any of you receive letters writen by any
of us informing you of the critical situation we were placed in, if so how
did you treat them if not so have you writen to us to give us that
information which would be calculated to releave the mind of its painful
anxciety concerning you, whether that fellowship and brotherly love
continued among you towards us which you professed when we left you,
it is true we received a letter from broth[e]r John Carl [Corrill]

28 Dec. 1789–29 June 1834. Merchant. Born at New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Eli Gilbert and Lydia Hemingway. Moved to Huntington, Fairfield Co., Connecticut; to Monroe, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, by Sept. 1818; to Painesville, Geauga Co...

after we arived home from Indiana who
had arived here before us, but what did it contain, it gave us this inteligence, that the
Devel had been to work with all his inventive immagination to reward
us for our toils in travling from this country to Zion amidst a crooked
& preverse generation leaving our familys in affliction amidst of death upon
the mercy of mobs & of brethren who you know sometimes are found to be
u[n]stable unbeleiving, unmerciful
& unkind,
and in this trying situation to keeping the
commandment of God we took our lives in our hands and traveled through
evry combination of wickedness to your country for your salvation & for our travail & our toils,
suffering & privations as I said before
[p. 2]

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

, he had been dealing with disharmony
among church leaders for a full year. There were disagreements over the method
for establishing Zion, proper handling of church resources, local control of
church affairs in Missouri, and the extent of JS’s power and authority. In this
letter, JS confronted these persistent strains and tensions with expressions of
both reconciliation and frustration.

Area settled by immigrants from Pennsylvania and New England, ca. 1802. Located in northeastern Ohio about twenty-five miles southeast of Kirtland. Population in 1830 about 500. Population in 1840 about 1,100. JS lived in township at home of John and Alice...

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

Area settled by immigrants from Pennsylvania and New England, ca. 1802. Located in northeastern Ohio about twenty-five miles southeast of Kirtland. Population in 1830 about 500. Population in 1840 about 1,100. JS lived in township at home of John and Alice...

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...